Coasters and Quarry
by Eden Tiberius Eliott
Summary: Pendergast and D'Agosta get called on to tail a mysterious female, but D'Agosta is less than pleased with where this order leads them. Slight OOC-ish-ness on Pendergast's part.


D'Agosta was waiting on a park bench when he heard the unmistakable 'purr' of the Rolls coming to pick him up. He trudged through the still dewy grass, feeling rather caffeine deprived, looking up in time to see the ever elegant figure unfold from the car. D'Agosta mumbled a quite, "Damn morning people" to the chipper looking Pendergast, still too far away to hear him.

Pendergast smirked happily at his partners obvious lack of enthusiasm at the call to meet at 7am. "Lovely morning, isn't it, Vincent?" he chortled in his think southern accent to the now venomous looking D'Agosta who was leaning on the hood of the Rolls.

"Let's just go, huh?" D'Agosta yawned as he slumped into the passenger seat of the car. With a slight sniff of laughter, Pendergast also climbed into the car, albeit more elegantly, and handed D'Agosta his peace offering of a strong cup of coffee, which seemed to produce the desired effect.

Keeping a diplomatic silence, Pendergast started the car, and headed off in what D'Agosta knew to be the general direction of the highway. Finally ready to deal with the cryptic ramblings of the Southern Gentleman beside him, D'Agosta cleared his throat.

"So, where are we going, if you're allowed to tell me now."

Pendergast shot him an amused look. "I could have told you earlier, my dear Vincent, if I had any confidence in your coming willingly after I had."

D'Agosta looked up from his coffee long enough to glare at the agent. "Do all of you Southern bastereds make a habit of kidnapping people?"

Another amused look. "Only when completely necessary."

D'Agosta muttered something into his coffee that Pendergast decided he was better off not knowing.

Where are we going?" D'Agosta slowly demanded, picturing any number of gory, not to mention illegal destinations merely by force of habit.

Pendergast pondered this for a second. "How do you feel about rollercoaster's, Vincent?"

"WHERE ARE WE GOING?"

Pendergast sighed. "Ever hear of a park called 'Kings Island'?"

A string of expletives followed in the form of a reply.

Pendergast swept a long fingered hand across his ear, as if to clear away such profanity. "Colorful, as usual, it seems."

"Why?" a rather put out D'Agosta grumbled.

"It seems that someone needs watching." The Agent replied, now with a more business like air.

"'Watching' as in babysitting, or 'watching' as in tailing?"

"Whichever you like, really, though I would venture to guess that is tends toward to latter."

"Why?"

"So full of questions, Vincent…Regardless, I was not informed."

About an hour of light bickering later, they arrived at their destination. Even though he was now fully awake, D'Agosta was still not quite ready to deal with the springy Pendergast who was now traipsing across the expansive parking lot beside him.

"Would you chill out?" D'Agosta asked, in the form of a command.

"Now, Vincent, we must look the part! We mustn't alert out quarry by standing out, we must blend." Pendergast said with what D'Agosta assumed was supposed to be a 'blending' hand movement. He was thinking of alerting the chipper agent to the fact that a Southern albino in a full black suit in a theme park was far from 'stealthy', but he decided to keep that thought to himself.

The two obtained entry to the park the second it opened and settled near the gates to keep watch for their target. The wait wasn't long, as she showed up a mere 15 minutes later. D'Agosta rolled his eyes as he studied her. "She's as chipper as he is. Between these two, I won't last the day." He muttered to himself.

"What was that, Vincent?" Pendergast ask, intently studding the target, who was intently studding a map.

"Nothing…Explain to me why we have to follow that girl around this park?"

Remaining fixated on their target as she brushed off the park worker who was trying to take her picture, Pendergast was trying in vain to formulate a soothing response. "I told you, I wasn't informed. They said our report would be better if we knew nothing about her."

"Damn management."

"Indeed…"

At that point she finished with the map and set a course to the left of the Eiffel tower, striding along rather happily, with the two in relaxed 'pursuit'. A few minuets of walking later, D'Agosta shot the agent a glare. Pendergast took the cue.

"What have I done now, Vincent?"

D'Agosta sighed. " The both of you walk as if there were nothing more fun than walking!"

"You…dislike walking, Vincent?" queried a happily confused Pendergast.

"No, just…Gaa, stop enjoying it so much!"

The agent laughed silently. "Shh, Vincent, she'll hear you."

"She can, and does." Spoke a voice behind them, as she passed between the two and resumed her chipper, oblivious walk, as far in front of them as she had been a second ago. A flabbergasted D'Agosta merely sputtered, whilst Pendergast laughed, audibly this time.

"Someone seems used to being watched." Pendergast mused.

"Obviously. Well, Pendergast, what now?"

"Nothing has changed. They informed me that this might happen. Odd, she doesn't seem to mind…"

"No, I don't mind, boys." She called over her shoulder, "Just don't bother me, hmm? Oh…and I'll walk slower, if you'd like, uh, 'Vincent'."

"Quite an interesting character…" Pendergast mused to his silently fuming partner.

At length, they followed her under an arch labeled 'The Drop'. D'Agosta halted mid-step. "Pendergast…We don't have to follow her _that_ closely, do we?"

Pendergast also stoped, and turned to look at D'Agosta. "You're not afraid of heights are you, Vincent?" he purred, with a growing smirk.

"I…of course not, well, I mean, it's just that…" D'Agosta stammered as Pendergast lightly guided him through the turnstile and up to the end of the queue, a few places behind their quarry.

D'Agosta glared at Pendergast. "You're kidding me." He whispered as he watched, horrified, the ring of seats around the 315 foot tower plummet to earth. Pendergast merely chuckled.

15 minuets later, they were boarding the ride. D'Agosta thought, for a moment, how out of place the secret agent looked in the giant yellow harness, but quickly remembered the fact that he was about to die. He mentally cursed the stupid girl, who was sitting a few seats to the Agent's left, for leading them to their doom. Would this still be 'Dying in the line of action"? He doubted it. The ride began, and already they were higher than he wanted to be.

Pendergast turned towards him, obviously enjoying himself. "Lovely view, isn't it Vincent?"

D'Agosta could only manage a half-sick glare in reply. When they arrived at the top, Pendergast began giving him tips on how best to enjoy the few seconds of free fall, but he wasn't listening, he was too busy watching his life flash before his eyes.

They fell, and the last thing he heard before passing out was The Agents single bark of triumphant sounding laughter.

He awoke in an air-conditioned office, Pendergast still chortling, and their quarry leaning against a door frame on the other side of the room.

"That's it," D'Agosta moaned, "I'll tag along, but I'll be keeping my feet on the ground, thank you very much."

The day wore on, Pendergast enjoying the rides in a relaxed sort of way, and D'Agosta, unable to comprehend how the usually cold agent was managing to enjoy all of this, wishing he had a camera. No one who hadn't seen it would believe Pendergast on a rollercoaster. No one.

As the sun was setting, their charge was heading towards the exit. Pendergast was happily going on about the physics of some ride called 'The Crypt', when the young lady, before walking out into the parking lot turned, saluted Lieutenant D'Agosta, and winked at Secret Agent Pendergast. D'Agosta burst into laughter for the first time that day as the Agent fell silent, blinked a few times, and stumbled slightly over a curb.

"Yes! It took her all day, but she finally managed to ruffle you!" D'Agosta crowed.

"Ruffled…" the agent pondered, "an interesting choice of words…"


End file.
